

The Wicker Man
Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!
Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.
TMDB
7.3/10
1,762 votes
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $810K
- Box office
- $885.4K
- Language
- English
- virgin
- island
- based on novel or book
- sacrifice
- scotland
- ritual
- cemetery
- investigation
- cult
- human sacrifice
- rural area
- disappearance
Top billed cast










Behind the camera
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalRAtlanta, Georgia15 May 1974
- TheatricalR7 Aug 1974
- TheatricalRNew York City, New York (Re-release)27 Sept 2013
- Theatrical (limited)Harvard Film Archive (Final Cut)21 Dec 2013
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical186 Dec 1973
- Theatrical15Re-release (Final Cut)27 Sept 2013
- Theatrical (limited)1521 Jun 2023
AustraliaAU
- PhysicalMDVD6 May 2009
CanadaCA
- PhysicalRDVD21 Aug 2001
BrazilBR
- Theatrical1631 Oct 1974
ChinaCN
- Premiere Beijing International Film Festival (4K)20 Apr 2024
FranceFR
- Theatrical10 Jan 2007
GermanyDE
- Physical16DVD23 Jan 2009
GreeceGR
- Theatrical (limited)Re-release13 Jul 2023
IrelandIE
- Theatrical1818 Jan 1974
- Theatrical16Re-release (Final Cut)27 Sept 2013
ItalyIT
- PremiereTrieste Sci-fi Film Festival1 Jul 1974
- TV28 Oct 2004
JapanJP
- TheatricalR18+21 Mar 1998
- TheatricalR18+Re-release (Final Cut)17 Oct 2020
Frequently asked questions
The Wicker Man was released on 6 December 1973.
Audience reviews
4- J10/10
John Chard
7/10/2016
I believe in the life eternal, as promised to us by our Lord, Jesus Christ. Mainland Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) flies off to the remote Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a 12 year old girl. What he finds is a culture steeped in Paganism, presided over by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). Meeting static and indifference wherever he goes - and being driven to anger by the …
- C6/10
CinemaSerf
7/23/2023
Well the cinema was packed as we all sat though what seemed like an interminable preamble of interviews with those connected with the film - including Britt Ekland - before it all started. Was it worth it? Well, I didn't really think so. Policeman "Howie" (Edward Woodward) arrives on a remote Scottish island after reports that a girl has gone missing. He is perplexed by the seemingly indifferent attitude of the local…
- O10/10
OuroborosSurfer
11/5/2023
Here Edward Woodward stars as Sgt. Howie, a Christian Scottish policeman sent to the remote island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The horror of the Wicker Man is not the obvious kind that hits you in the face with a hammer, but quietly creeps up on you. The way the pagan villagers act indifferently or defensively to the supposed disappearance or murder of a child is disturbing, es…
- F8/10
FolknHell
8/25/2026
There is something wonderfully perverse about *The Wicker Man* spending so much of its time refusing to look frightening. Summerisle is bright, musical, fertile and apparently having an excellent time. People sing in the pub, copulate enthusiastically on the grass and decorate the place with enough fertility symbolism to make Sergeant Howie’s blood pressure a genuine secondary plot. Yet almost everybody he meets a…
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